Stoke City Announces New Deals
Stoke City FC has confirmed two new sponsorship deals, with online bookmaker bet365 and long-time partner Britannia, as the 2011/12 Premier League season draws to a close this Sunday.
Bet365 replaces financial firm Britannia as the new shirt sponsor of the club, who could finish as high as 11th with a win over relegation-battling Bolton Wanders on the final day of the season.
The online bookmaker is owned by the Coates family, which also owns Stoke City.
Meanwhile, Britannia – whose logo has featured on the Potters’ kit for the last 15 years – will become the club’s official banking and community partner for the next two seasons, and also retains the naming rights to the club’s 27,600-seat stadium.
The new partnership between Stoke City and Britannia will also have an increased community focus, with the company’s support going towards encouraging more children to get involved in sport and enjoy healthier lifestyles.
According to an official club statement: ‘The sponsorship agreements are geared to maximising the tremendous opportunities which are available locally, nationally and globally as a direct result of the progress made by City since winning promotion to the top flight of English football in 2008.’
Stoke City’s chief executive Tony Scholes said: ‘This is a very exciting development for the football club which gives us every chance to continue progressing forward. We have the opportunity now to work closely with two very successful local companies on two different fronts.’
‘The club is already hugely indebted to the support from bet365 and its owners, the Coates family. Whilst Britannia and The Co-operative Group focus more on local and national markets, bet365, who are the largest private sector employers in the area, operate on a global basis.’
‘This agreement with bet365 means that we have been able to maximise the international element of the club’s exposure.’
Denise Coates, co-chief executive of bet365, added: ‘We are delighted to have reached an agreement to become Stoke City’s shirt sponsors. It is a perfect fit for us as a Stoke-on-Trent-based company with a global reach and international markets to become shirt sponsor of our local Premier League club.’
